So you’re in the market for a new gun. Maybe a new hunting rifle, a pistol, or a wildly popular AR-15. You have a computer and internet, and you’re thinking about buying a gun online. But you’ve never shopped for guns online before, and you’re not sure where to start.
If this is you, continue reading!
First of all, we should address a commonly asked question.
Can you buy guns online?
The answer is yes, you can. Law requires that any firearm you purchase be shipped to a licensed FFL dealer. As long as you find an FFL dealer who is willing to receive your firearm and transfer it to you, you can purchase a gun online just like you would any other item.
FFL stands for Federal Firearms License. A person who has an FFL can legally receive firearms and transfer them to another person. The transfer process may require an FFL dealer to fingerprint you, and perform a background check as well. As long as you have no felonies, you won’t have any problems.
FFL dealers usually charge a fee for their services. Expect to pay $20 or $25 to have a gun transferred to you. If the one you’re considering hiring will be charging more, consider looking around for another one who will stay within in this price range.
Where can you find an FFL dealer?
In most cases the company you purchase a firearm from can help you find one in your area. There are also a number of online listings of dealers who have FFLs. The Gun Network contains one of the most extensive listing of gun dealers, and is very easy to search.
And now time for the shopping!
As far as shopping for guns online goes, you have two basic options:
- Retail companies. Impact guns, Bud’s Gun Shop, and The Gun Source are a few examples of online gun retailers. You’ll find fairly competitive pricing at most of these. Be sure to price the item you’re looking for at three or four different sites, to find the best deal.
- Auction companies. Gunbroker, Auction Arms, and Guns America are the most well-known gun auction companies. Here you’ll find both new and used guns. You may be able to pick up a used one for quite a deal, if you’re patient and look around.
Ebang is a great place to look for guns for sale. It’s a gun search engine that compiles the listings of a number of auction and retail companies into one, making it easy to price compare. You may also visit any of the sites listed at Ebang for a closer look at their inventory.
If you decide to purchase from a retailer, be sure to contact them to make sure the item you want is in stock prior to placing your order – even if their website states that it is. If you don’t, you may end up waiting a long time before receiving your new gun.
If you decide to purchase at an auction site, just make sure the seller has a good reputation. That is, he/she has received good feedback from other buyers.
In conclusion, it’s 100% legal to purchase guns online, as long as you have them shipped to an FFL dealer. If you spend some time looking around, you can probably save a fair amount of money shopping online.
With that, good luck in your next firearm purchase!
